Haematology

In the early 1980s, the Department of Hematology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University was established, and a hematology research laboratory was established at the same time. With Professors Lin Huixian, Ma Xiantu, Zhang Wanfa, Li Yue, Fang Meiyun, and others as representatives, successive generations passed on knowledge and skills through word and deed, worked hard, and led the discipline to continuous growth and expansion. At present, the Department of Hematology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University is a specialized discipline integrating medical care, teaching, and research; it is a key specialty in Liaoning Province and a key discipline in Dalian City; in 2004, it was approved by the China Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank and confirmed as a designated hospital nationwide for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and collection; in 2006, it became a Ministry of Health specialist physician training base and an authorized site for conferral of doctoral degrees. In 2017, it became a member institution of the China Hematology Specialty Alliance; in 2018, it became a member institution of the Northern Lymphoma Collaborative Group, a member institution of the Northern Myeloma Collaborative Group, and a member institution of the China Flow Cytometry Alliance; in 2019, it became a member institution of the Professional Committee of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy of the China Medical Education Association.

The discipline currently has 90 beds, including a total of 14 beds in class-100 laminar-flow wards and under laminar-flow hoods; it has two hematology wards, Departments II and III, and two outpatient units, Departments I and III, with an annual outpatient volume of more than 20,000 person-visits; the annual average number of discharged patients exceeds 2,500 person-visits; it has the Dalian Key Laboratory of MICM for Hematologic Diseases; there are currently 18 physicians, including 5 supervisors of master's students and 9 PhD holders. The laboratory has 5 staff members, including 2 with senior professional titles.

Clinical services provided by the department:

Beginning in 1993, the Department of Hematology took the lead in Dalian City in performing peripheral-blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and was the first in China to apply the technology of cryopreserving hematopoietic stem cells at -80°C in clinical practice, with successful results. In 2003, it again took the lead in the city in performing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, enabling patients in southern Liaoning to receive high-level treatment within the city; in 2009, it performed unrelated-donor allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; in 2017, it performed microtransplantation to treat elderly patients with leukemia; all of these were firsts pioneered in Dalian City.

The department is committed to the precise diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the hematopoietic system. After years of development, on the basis of comprehensive development, the discipline has strengthened the development of its subspecialties. Each subspecialty team is guided by senior experts and includes young and mid-career backbone members; all have experience in further study and training in China and/or abroad, keep abreast of the latest diagnostic and treatment advances and research developments in their respective fields, and promptly communicate them to other personnel in the department. In recent years, the subspecialties have adhered to the principles of standardized, stratified, and precision treatment and have extensively developed a diagnostic and treatment system for high-risk lymphoma and multiple myeloma in which immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and chemotherapy are followed sequentially by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In plasma cell disorders, particular emphasis is placed on strengthening research into the diagnosis and treatment of amyloidosis through multidisciplinary collaboration with the hospital’s departments of cardiology, nephrology, pathology, and others; the department is one of the few institutions in China capable of performing myocardial biopsies and is actively working to establish a diagnosis and treatment center for plasma cell diseases. In the diagnosis and treatment of leukemia, precise risk stratification is performed on the basis of testing technologies, and an allogeneic transplantation system for high-risk leukemia has been established; patients with intermediate- or low-risk leukemia and elderly patients with leukemia receive stratified treatment with autologous transplantation or microtransplantation. Especially with the aging of the population, the department has actively explored microtransplantation for the treatment of elderly leukemia, joined the national microtransplantation and cellular therapy working group, participated in international multicenter clinical studies, and carried out microtransplantation treatment for elderly patients with leukemia, benefiting patients.

As an outstanding regional center for the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic diseases, our department undertakes the diagnosis and treatment of critical and difficult hematologic diseases in southern Liaoning and some cities in other provinces, such as relapsed/refractory leukemia, NK/T-cell lymphoma, refractory multiple myeloma, and severe aplastic anemia. More than 50% of cases are difficult or severe; the success rate of rescue for critical cases has reached 90%; the department has provided assistance and support to peer institutions in Dalian City and surrounding areas in the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic diseases. The number of discharged patients and the annual outpatient workload have continued to rise.

Precision treatment of hematologic diseases depends on precise laboratory diagnosis. The Department of Hematology currently has the Dalian Key Laboratory of MICM for Hematologic Diseases. In addition to basic examinations for hematologic diseases, such as bone marrow morphology, bone marrow biopsy cytology, flow cytometric immunophenotyping, and minimal residual disease testing, it can also perform cytogenetic and molecular biology testing, including immunomagnetic bead selection technology. It is one of the earliest laboratories in the province to conduct cytogenetic testing and one of the earliest laboratories to conduct molecular testing using the FISH method; in this field, it has filled gaps in Dalian City and Liaoning Province. The laboratory’s space has now been expanded to 100 m². On the basis of its previous work, it has optimized the MICM (morphology, immunology, cytogenetics, and molecular biology) workflow, updated equipment for chromosome testing, flow cytometers, and other equipment, and possesses the first ten-color flow cytometer in the three northeastern provinces. This instrument can be used not only for the precise diagnosis and prognostic assessment of hematologic malignancies, but also, in conjunction with Q-PCR and other technologies, to monitor minimal residual disease and guide clinical treatment. The laboratory has obtained validation from a reference laboratory for molecular testing of chronic myeloid leukemia. It uses PCR technology to detect BK, EB, and CMV viral antigens. It also conducts clinical trial research on targeted drug therapy, submits applications for provincial and municipal research projects, applies for patents, and establishes mechanisms and models for translational medicine. Many of the hematology laboratory’s testing items have successfully passed industry interlaboratory quality-control certification.

Teaching, science-popularization, and public-awareness activities of the department:

As a teaching hospital, it actively strengthens exchanges and cooperation with major medical centers in China and abroad, actively organizes continuing education activities at the national, provincial, and municipal levels, invites renowned domestic experts to Dalian from time to time to give lectures and exchange views, establishes a public WeChat account for the department, strengthens science-popularization activities as well as patient education and follow-up, organizes patient education meetings on lymphoma, myeloma, chronic myeloid leukemia, and other diseases, actively participates in various free-clinic activities, serves society, and receives favorable reviews.

Research activities of the department:

The Department of Hematology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University relies on an advanced hematology laboratory, is grounded in the forefront of the discipline, conducts in-depth research with difficult and critical diseases as its focus, is committed to the precise diagnosis and standardized treatment of hematologic diseases, improves and refines a data-based management platform for patients with hematologic diseases, and establishes a standardized specimen bank for hematologic diseases. Building on the platform of the Dalian Key Laboratory of MICM for Hematologic Diseases, the discipline has, in recent years, led, participated in, and completed multiple national-, provincial-, and municipal-level scientific research projects; it has received two Third Prizes in the Liaoning Provincial Science and Technology Progress Awards, one Second Prize in the Liaoning Provincial Government Science and Technology Progress Award, one Second Prize in the Liaoning Natural Science Award, and one First Prize in the Dalian Science and Technology Progress Award. It has published many papers in SCI-indexed and core journals and has edited and co-edited several monographs.

The growth of the Department of Hematology would not have been possible without the guidance and assistance of leaders and colleagues at all levels, or without the united efforts of all medical and nursing staff; we also thank the patients who have fought alongside us for their understanding and support of our work. We will continue to work hard and move forward; we believe tomorrow will be even better!